The cambridge life

winter/SPrinG 2021 iSSue 1, Vol. 4 A PublicAtion of the city of cAmbridGe, mASSAchuSettS

The cambridge lifethecAmbridGelife.orG

AHistoric

Look at the Smallpox Epidemic

In This Issue…

About the COVID-19 Vaccine

Cambridge Pandemic Collaborative

COVID-19 Expert Advisory Panel

Analyzing Wastewater to Track COVID-19 Infections

New Transition Wellness Center

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COVID-19 VaccineYour need-to-know details about the COVID-19 Vaccine*

It is SAFE The available COVID-19 vaccines are approved and recommended by the FDA and the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices following standard testing and approval processes.By prioritizing resources and efforts, the vaccines were developed quickly and never at the expense of safety. For more on vaccine safety visit mass.gov/COVIDVaccineSafety.

It is FREE The COVID-19 vaccine is being administered free of charge to all individuals by the federal government.

Insurance information may be asked for by those administering the vaccine in order to bill-back to insurance. However, you will not be charged. If you do not have insurance, you are still eligible to receive the vaccine free of charge.

You need TWO doses to be FULLY vaccinatedUntil you are fully vaccinated, you can still contract and spread COVID-19.

Not everyone will be vaccinated when you are. And while we know it dramatically reduces severe cases and symptoms, we are still learning about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide under real-life conditions. Continue to wear a mask, wash your hands, keep distance and avoid groups between doses and even after your second dose.

Your two doses need to be administered from the SAME SITEYou must receive your second dose of the same vaccine at the same site as your first.

• Pfizer vaccine: 21 days following first dose• Moderna vaccine: 28 days following first dose

Second doses should be administered within 4 days following the 21 or 28 day mark. Before leaving your first dose appointment, schedule or confirm how to setup your next appointment.

Find out when you can get vaccinated at mass.gov/covidVaccinePhasesMassachusetts developed a phased COVID-19 vaccine distribution timeline focused on equity and safety.

The timeline focuses on maintaining health care system capacity, addressing inequities in health care access and the COVID-19 burden, and protecting vulnerable populations. Each phase has priority groups within them. For regularly updated priority groups and eligible jobs and medical conditions, visit mass.gov/COVIDVaccinePhases.

* This information was last updated 1/26/21 and applies to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.

For more information on the COVID-19 vaccine, phases, and more visit mass.gov/COVIDVaccinePhases. For Cambridge related vaccine information, visit Cambridgema.gov/vaccine

FREE

Over the past year, the Cambridge Public Health Department (CPHD) has demonstrated why they are nationally accredited. As a key part of my COVID-19 response team, CPHD has provided public health guidance, established a daily COVID-19 testing program, administered free flu shots at numerous community clinics, created emergency shelters to support our unhoused residents, and provided support to the Cambridge Public Schools. But they did not do this alone.With every new challenge, City departments and staff rose to the occasion to support our community. For example, Cambridge Fire, along with ProEMS, administered 80,795 free COIVD-19 tests in 2020 and through January 18, 2021. Police, Public Works, and Human Services departments ensured emergency shelters were quickly constructed and run in a manner to best support our guests. And Inspectional Services, Community Development,

and License Commission staff worked tirelessly to coordinate with my office to support our local businesses.As always, you are welcome to send me your feedback or ideas by calling my office at 617-349-4300 or emailing me at [email protected]. My love and dedication to Cambridge have been an everyday part of my life, and I am committed to ensuring that Cambridge is the best possible place for our residents to live, work, and raise a family.

City Manager’s Message

The cambridge life // WiNTer/SPriNg 2021 1

n March 13, 2020, we announced the first COVID-19 cases in Cambridge.

This past year has been one of the most challenging times for our City, and throughout this pandemic, our priority has been preventing the loss of life. I want to thank our residents for complying with the public health initiatives to help slow the spread of COVID-19. With vaccine distribution underway, better days are on the horizon. However, we need to continue to adhere to public health best practices until a significant portion of the population receives a COVID-19 vaccine.Throughout the pandemic, we have used data and evidence to inform the City’s response. I want to thank the Mayor, City Council, and City staff for their tremendous dedication. Our collaborative efforts led to 81% of respondents in our 2020 Biennial Resident Survey rating the City’s handling of the pandemic as “excellent” or “good.”

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City Manager Louis A. DePasquale

Contents

2-3 Cambridge Pandemic Collaborative

4-5 Expert Advisory Panel Informs City Decisions for COVID-19 Response

6-7 A Historic Look At Smallpox Epidemic

8-9 Analyzing Wastewater Helps Track COVID-19 Infections

10-11 COVID-19 Timeline At-A-Glance

12 New Transistion Wellness Center

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2 The cambridge life // WiNTer/SPriNg 2021

aunched in fall 2020 in the face of COVID-19, the Cambridge Pandemic Collaborative (CPC) is a robust collaborative effort of public and private City partners. The CPC evolved

from an initial Task Force composed of public health and public safety personnel from the Cambridge Public Health Department (CPHD), Cambridge Fire and Police Departments, and Pro EMS who came together to address community challenges of the pandemic and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Cambridge. Early efforts included surveillance testing, PPE procurement and donations, and resident and business outreach.

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CAMbRIDGE PANDEMIC COLLAbORATIVE


site and flu clinic. Trinity Property Management, another Cambridge business with community roots, offered free space in Harvard Square. Seeking a North Cambridge testing location, CPHD reached out to St. John the Evangelist Church, which agreed to host a testing site weekly, as did St. Paul A.M.E. Church. And the Cambridge Housing Authority continued to make its Pisani Center available to offer COVID-19 testing in the Port neighborhood. The generosity of the partners enabled the City to offer COVID testing seven days per week.City leadership was not surprised by the willingness of the community to step up in the face of the pandemic. Earlier in the year, four local businesses – Brookfield Properties, East Cambridge Savings Bank, Pro EMS, and Trinity Property Management – joined forces to purchase $60,000 in high-quality, reusable protective gowns for the three skilled nursing facilities in Cambridge to help address the

shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE). More recently, partners donated four “hexapods,” booths that allow for greater safety for clinicians administering COVID-19 tests.“The Cambridge business community has signaled its willingness to be integral to our testing efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Claude Jacob, Chief Public Health Officer. “They’re equally committed to ensuring that we have the mechanisms in place for vaccine distribution.”The CPC has built a testing and vaccine infrastructure that now serves as the backbone of Cambridge’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration strategy. With clinical staff at the ready, a comprehensive operations plan, and plenty of brick and mortar locations already in place, the CPC is well-positioned to offer rapid dispensing of the COVID-19 vaccine to residents this winter and spring, when called upon to do so by the Commonwealth.

n April 2020, the Task Force provided multiple rounds of COVID-19 testing in Cambridge’s

seven long-term care facilities, becoming the first “surveillance testing” program in Massachusetts. Surveillance testing involved testing all residents and staff, even those with no symptoms, to help identify the spread of the virus among this high-risk population. The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard was a critical partner in this effort, providing and processing all the tests with one of the fastest turnaround times in the Commonwealth.The City’s Task Force then began offering community testing early in July. Testing numbers skyrocketed from a few dozen tests one day to 300 the next. As demand for testing grew, it was clear that the City needed a longer term, sustainable testing infrastructure that would be scalable to meet testing needs, and would also be ready for COVID-19 vaccine administration when the vaccine became available. Thus was born the Cambridge Pandemic Collaborative (CPC), a public-private partnership with a mission to help ensure the health and safety of Cambridge residents for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health and public safety staff came together early in the pandemic, under the leadership of the City Manager and the Mayor, and the CPC expanded this team to include private partners in the City. CambridgeSide, a long-time partner of the Cambridge Public Health Department and the City, offered its mall parking garage for use as a COVID-19 drive-through testing

Collaborative Effort of Public & Private City Partners

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Residents Age 75+ Eligible for COVID-19 VaccineAs of January 27, Cambridge residents age 75+ are eligible to register for the COVID-19 vaccine at any of the “Mass Vaccination Sites.” You can register for your vaccine at mass.gov/COVIDVaccineMap.The City of Cambridge is working with the State on establishing vaccination sites in Cambridge. Currently, there are no public sites in Cambridge, based on the limited availability of vaccines. Please remember to bring a valid ID with you.For more information, please call 617-349-9789 or visit cambridgema.gov/vaccine.

Photo: David Oziel


critical component of the City’s decision-making process on a range of important issues regarding COVID-19, including pandemic mitigation strategies, communication activities, and analyzing wastewater to track COVID-19 infections.The personal protective equipment (PPE) crisis last spring was one of the first topics that the EAP considered. At a time when the broader public health community was not universally convinced about the use of masks to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the EAP

was studying mask efficacy. EAP members communicated a sense of urgency about getting masks to frontline workers in the community, and provided guidance on developing best practices to educate residents about the importance of mask wearing to mitigate spread of the pandemic.One EAP member helped the City secure a large supply of surgical masks for Inspectional Services staff who wore them while inspecting grocery stores and who also provided them to the stores for the protection of their employees. The EAP was instrumental in helping the City disseminate the mask message early and through multiple communication channels, before evidence of their effectiveness was fully established. Later, the importance of masks for frontline workers, as well as the general public, became the established public health practice and message.

ambridge has long been recognized as home to academic excellence and

technological innovation. In March 2020, seeking to leverage the expertise of people who live and work in Cambridge in the fight against COVID-19, City Manager Louis A. DePasquale appointed a COVID-19 Expert Advisory Panel (EAP). The EAP is composed of medical and subject matter experts whose academic, clinical, and technological perspectives have helped inform and guide Cambridge’s COVID-19 response.

These experts are acknowledged in their fields — epidemiology, biology, infectious disease and data analytics — and connected to colleagues around the world who share real- time academic research and clinical practices that can serve as counsel to the City’s COVID-19 activities. While public health authority rests with the Cambridge Public Health Department (CPHD) in partnership with the City Manager, the EAP plays an important role in providing CPHD and City Leadership with recommendations for best practice strategies to reduce the spread of COVID-19.Hosted by CPHD and the City Manager’s Office, the COVID-19 EAP began meeting in March 2020 and continues to meet regularly. In an environment of constantly changing information and evolving guidance at the federal and state levels, the EAP’s insight was a

The question of aerosol transmission of COVID-19 was also an early topic of discussion for the EAP. While there was still uncertainty about whether the virus could be spread by very tiny viral particles known as aerosols, EAP members were speaking with colleagues nationally and abroad and reviewing studies that suggested that aerosol transmission was highly likely. At their urging, CPHD began to advocate for mandatory indoor mask use in every workplace unless an employee was alone in a suite or in an office where the door could

be closed. Additionally, harnessing the expertise of the EAP, the City issued a mask order for workplaces that was stricter than the state standard.These are but a few examples of the value the EAP brings to the City’s ongoing efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our community. Considering the work of the EAP in the coming months, Dr. LouAnn Bruno Murtha, a member of the panel, said she will continue working to address any concerns about the vaccine. “I’m doing everything I can to try to instill confidence in the vaccine within the Cambridge Health Alliance system. We’re going to have to do the same within the broader community once the vaccine is more widely available.”The City of Cambridge and the Cambridge Public Health Department express their gratitude to the EAP members who have so generously donated their knowledge and time to help inform the City’s response.

Cambridge Thanks the COVID-19 Expert Advisory Panel

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The EAP is composed of medical and subject matter experts whose academic, clinical, and technological perspectives have helped inform and guide Cambridge’s COVID-19 response.


Current EAP Members Are:

Co-Chair Jill Crittenden, Ph.D., Research Scientist, McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Koch Institute for Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Crittenden’s research aims to understand how genetically-defined neurocircuits contribute to brain function and behavioral choices in control of voluntary motor systems.

Co-Chair William P. Hanage, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Faculty, Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, Harvard University. Dr. Hanage researches the evolution and epidemiology of infectious disease. His work focuses on pathogen evolution and is particularly interested in using an evolutionary framework such as methods derived from population genetics to inform epidemiology.

LouAnn Bruno-Murtha, D.O., Medical Director and Chief of Infectious Diseases, Cambridge Health Alliance. Dr. Bruno-Murtha is Division Chief of Infectious Diseases and Medical Director of Infection Prevention at the Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA). She chairs the Infection Prevention Committee and co-directs the Antibiotic Stewardship Team.

Kirby Erlandson, 4th Year Student, dual degree, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Business School. Ms. Erlandson is a 4th year Harvard MD/MBA student with a background in outbreak response. She studied global public health at Duke University and spent two years in Liberia during the Ebola outbreak developing infection surveillance systems, screening protocols, designing education campaigns, and facilitating trainings.

Chris Kreis, MD, Founder, CEO, ASP.MD Inc. After a post doctoral fellowship in Medical Informatics at Harvard, Dr. Kreis started ASP.MD, a web-based practice management and electronic health records company. He’s been running the company for nearly 20 years. Dr. Kreis has a background in business, health care, and technology and is well-versed in federal legislation around health care.

Assaad Sayah, MD, the City’s Commissioner of Public Health and CEO of Cambridge Health Alliance, serves as an ex-officio member of the group, along with staff from the Cambridge Public Health Department and the City Manager’s Office.


Smallpox – Among the Most brutal Killers in Human History

ineteenth century cities were notably unhealthy places, rife with all sorts of infectious diseases. Tuberculosis was the leading cause of death

in Cambridge at the beginning of the 20th century, but significant numbers of people died in periodic epidemics of diphtheria, typhoid, scarlet fever, malaria, and measles. However, none of these

caused greater fear than smallpox, a highly communicable virus that killed as many as 60% of those it infected and often left the survivors badly scarred. Smallpox originated in Asia in the third century CE. Boston suffered deadly outbreaks in 1721, 1730, 1751, and 1776-78.

AHistoric Look

at the Contagious Smallpox Virus and the Vaccine

Cambridge’s Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse, who was on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, introduced Dr. Edward Jenner’s improved smallpox vaccine to America in 1800. Inoculation was not common– the process seemed counter-intuitive to most people. An outbreak of smallpox that struck Cambridge in 1872 and 1873 infected 290 people, of whom 57 died. The City of Cambridge offered free vaccinations and isolated infected persons at the almshouse (pictured above), and eventually these measures prevailed. Waterhouse photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons via the Wellcome Collection.org. Waterhouse House. Cambridge Historical Commission.

During an outbreak of smallpox in Cambridge in 1872-73, infected individuals were confined in the City Almshouse, the stone-block building on the right in this ca. 1900 photo. The building still stands on Matignon Avenue and houses the International School of Boston.

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The next epidemic originated in Boston in 1901 and struck with much greater force. Cambridge’s first case was reported in October, and this time the City’s new Board of Health swung into action with an aggressive campaign of mandatory isolation of infected individuals, vaccination of everyone living in neighboring houses for the distance of a city block, and fumigation of the infected premises with formaldehyde gas. The City did not attempt to quarantine well persons because such measures were too difficult to enforce. Active patients were isolated in three houses on New Street that the City took by eminent domain expressly to serve as a temporary “detention hospital.” (The City burned the houses in 1906.)

Free citywide vaccination clinics were not sufficient, and in March 1902 the Board of Health ordered that all inhabitants of the densely settled neighborhoods in the eastern part of the city who had not been successfully immunized within the previous five years had to submit to vaccination. Teams of doctors went from house to house and vaccinated everyone they could find. Libraries, schools, and churches were closed in June. During the summer, doctors accompanied by police officers visited every house in the city, and anyone who could not produce evidence of vaccination or refused to be vaccinated was summoned to court.

By August 18, 1902, the incubation period for new cases had passed and the epidemic was over. Cambridge doctors had vaccinated 56,213 persons over a 10 month period. Of the reported 192 people infected, 32 died. The epidemic passed into history as the last major smallpox outbreak in the United States.

Memory of the episode survives in the landmark 1905 case of Jacobson v. Massachusetts, in which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ability of the City of Cambridge to require citizens to submit to vaccination. The case was brought by Rev. Henning Jacobson, Assistant City Clerk Albert Pear, and two others who refused to be vaccinated.

Rev. Jacobson, who was pastor of the Swedish Lutheran Church, refused for religious reasons, while Pear produced a note from his doctor exempting him on medical grounds. The Cambridge

District Court judge was not swayed, and fined each man $5.00. The Massachusetts Anti-Vaccination League took up their case, and when the state’s Supreme Judicial Court ruled against them, supported their appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which also ruled against them. In a unanimous decision, Justice John M. Harlan confirmed that, “Upon the principle

of self-defense, a community has the right to protect itself against an epidemic of disease which threatens the safety of its members” [Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 (1905)].

Jacobson v Massachusetts (1905): It all started in Cambridge

Jacobson and subsequent court rulings established a body of public health case law in the 20th century that impacts our lives today, from school vaccination requirements to bans on tobacco and other products deemed harmful to people’s health. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jacobson v. Massachusetts has been frequently cited in court pleadings to uphold states’ emergency restrictions on businesses, religious gatherings, and other protective measures. That a 115-year-old Supreme Court ruling remains relevant today is a testament to our country’s enduring and evolving conversation on civil liberties and the role of government.

On Tuesday, March 27, 1906, Albert Pear quietly paid the fine leveled against him in 1902.

his technology provides a valuable source of data by showing the prevalence of the virus by geographic

area. Importantly, spikes in viral levels in sewage can help identify increases in infections three to seven days before data from individual testing reflect the trend.

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CAMbRIDGE TRACKS COVID-19 Infections by

Analyzing Wastewater

Cambridge Weekly Sewage Sampling Data

This chart indicates the presence of the COVID-19 virus (measured as viral RNA particles from the novel coronavirus per ml) in municipal wastewater. The data shown here was collected as a 24-hour composite sample, which is taken weekly.

pioneer a new field of wastewater epidemiology. The COVID-19 pandemic spurred Biobot to adapt its protocols to detect viral RNA particles from the novel coronavirus in wastewater. Infected people shed these microscopic particles in their bodily fluids, such as feces, which then get flushed down the toilet into the municipal wastewater stream.This technology provides a valuable source of data by showing the prevalence of the virus by geographic area. Importantly, spikes in viral levels in sewage can help identify increases in infections three to seven days before data from individual testing reflect the trend. This can give public health officials a head start on a local response.Since November, Cambridge has had access to local wastewater data (see chart on opposite page). This new monitoring tool is augmenting the more traditional public health approaches for tracking and responding to disease outbreaks.

sites are entirely — or almost entirely — drawn from Cambridge households and workplaces.Data are corrected for wastewater flow rate, which adjusts for population in general. Data shown are expected to reflect the burden of COVID-19 infections within each of the four sewersheds. While this wastewater surveillance tool can provide an early indication of major changes in transmission within the community, it remains an emerging technology that should only be considered along with confirmed cases and other clinical metrics to assess community transmission.Since March 2020, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority has been working with Biobot to monitor levels of coronavirus RNA in wastewater at the Deer Island Treatment Plant. Cambridge contributes to the regional sample covering the northern suburbs with other regional communities. As Cambridge continues to collect more data on a weekly basis, it will continue to refine how this technology can

Testing, Contact Tracing, and EducationSince the novel coronavirus emerged in Massachusetts, the City of Cambridge has been working to slow its spread through testing, contact tracing, and educating the public about prevention measures. These tried and true public health strategies are routinely used to limit transmission of infectious diseases.Through a partnership with Biobot Analytics, Inc., Cambridge is taking a new approach to tracking COVID-19 outbreaks: analyzing wastewater. “Since the beginning of the pandemic, my Office and the City have worked closely to develop strategies to slow the spread of COVID-19 and get ahead of any potential outbreaks,” said Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui. “In the fall, I proposed an initiative to analyze Cambridge’s wastewater, which led to the creation of this partnership, to utilize another important tool we can use to understand and control the spread of COVID-19.”


Analyzing Wastewater

biobot is a firm started by former MIT researchers that uses data gleaned from sewage to gain insights into human behavior, biology, and health. biobot brings together biologists, epidemi-ologists, data scientists, urban planners, and engineers who are helping pioneer a new field of wastewater epidemiology.

Biobot is a firm started by former MIT researchers that uses data gleaned from sewage to gain insights into human behavior, biology, and health. Biobot brings together biologists, epidemiologists, data scientists, urban planners, and engineers who are helping

All areas within the City of Cambridge are captured across four separate catchment areas (or sewersheds) as indicated on the map above. The N & W Cambridge sample (shown in purple) also includes nearly all of Belmont and very small areas of Arlington and Somerville (light purple). The remaining collection

help shape the City’s public health response.This Cambridge wastewater surveillance initiative is being funded through a $175,000 appropriation from the Cambridge City Council. To view the current wastewater data visit Cambridgema.gov/casecount.


Cambridge COVID-19 Timeline at a Glance

2020MARCH• City of Cambridge Offices Close to the Public• City Events and Programs Cancelled• Cambridge Public Health Department (CPHD)

Announces New COVID-19 Cases• City of Cambridge Launches COVID-19

Updates Daily Email Newsletter• City of Cambridge Issues Temporary

Emergency Construction Moratorium• City of Cambridge Declares Public Health

Emergency• Mayor Siddiqui and City Manager DePasquale

Activate Mayor’s Disaster Relief Fund• City Manager/Commissioner of Public Health

Issue Temporary Emergency Order on Closure of Several Businesses and Activities

• City Manager Appoints COVID-19 Expert Advisory Panel

APRIL • City of Cambridge Issues Emergency

Temporary Eviction Enforcement Order• City of Cambridge Issues Emergency Order

that War Memorial be Used for Temporary Emergency Shelter

• City of Cambridge Urges Residents to Wear Face Coverings When Leaving Their Home

• City of Cambridge Partners with Broad Institute on Pilot Project for COVID-19 Testing in Nursing Homes

• Temporary Emergency Shelter at War Memorial Recreation Center Partially Opens

• Cambridge Public Health Department Announces Over 200 COVID-19 Cases in Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living Facilities in Cambridge

• City of Cambridge Distributes $88,308 from Mayor’s Disaster Relief Fund, Five Days After Launching Application Process

• City of Cambridge/Cambridge Public Health Department Launch New COVID-19 Data Center

• City of Cambridge Issues Emergency Order Requiring Use of Face Coverings

• City of Cambridge Provides Thousands of Masks to Residents in Need

• City of Cambridge Appoints Small Business Advisory Committee to Plan Safe Reopening Strategy

MAY• Commonwealth Orders Use of Mask or

Face Covering in Public• City of Cambridge Appoints Construction

Advisory Group to Plan Safe Reopening Strategy

• City of Cambridge Distributes Nearly $1 Million from Mayor’s Disaster Relief Fund

• Cambridge Health Alliance Launches COVID-19 Testing in Cambridge

• Governor Baker Announces Four-Phase Approach to Reopening Massachusetts Economy

• City of Cambridge Expands COVID-19 Testing

• City of Cambridge Reaches More than 7,000 Residents through Senior Phone Outreach Initiative


2020

*Due to space limitations, the sampling of key dates above mainly highlight City’s immediate response during the first 90 days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

JUNE• COVID-19 Cases Surpass 1,000 in Cambridge• City of Cambridge Launches “Pick It Up

Cambridge” Campaign to Support Local Restaurants

• City of Cambridge Launches Application Process to Request Temporary Extension of Licensed Premises to Outdoor Area Due to COVID-19

• Main Library Begins Offering Contactless Holds Pickup

• City of Cambridge Announces Street Changes to Increase Outdoor Dining Options

• City of Cambridge Announces Availability of COVID-19 Emergency and Recovery Grants for Eligible Cambridge Nonprofit Organizations

JULY• Cambridge Public Health Department

Expands Number of Testing Appointments for Mobile Testing Program

• City of Cambridge/Cambridge Redevelopment Authority Award $3.6 Million in Grants and Loans to Support Small Businesses

• City of Cambridge Launches $1.5 Million COVID-19 Housing Stabilization Program

• City of Cambridge Launches Cambridge Community Corps to Encourage Residents to Adopt Safe Practices While Outdoors

• Baker-Polito Administration Issues New Travel Order Effective August 1

AUGUST• Baker-Polito Administration Announces

New Initiatives to Stop Spread of COVID-19

SEPTEMbER• Cambridge Records 100th COVID-19

Death• City Partners with Local Restaurants to

Provide Over 70,000 Meals to Homeless Residents

NOVEMbER• City Expands COVID-19 Testing to Seven

Days a Week

DECEMbER• City of Cambridge Announces Availability

of New Small Business Winter COVID-19 Grant

• City Opens New Transition Wellness Center which will Serve as Temporary Adult Homeless Shelter

• City/Cambridge Community Foundation Award $257,000 in Grants to Arts and Culture Organizations

• Approximately 61,955 COVID-19 Tests Administered through Dec. 31, 2020

2021JANUARY• State Announces Vaccine Distribution Timeline• A total of 702 Cambridge First Responders (EMS,

Fire, Police) Receive COVID-19 Vaccine• Cambridge Pandemic Collaborative begins

vaccinating clients and staff at Cambridge homeless shelters and meals programs

• Cambridge residents age 75+ are eligible to register for the COVID-19 vaccine at any of the “Mass Vaccination Sites”


New Transition Wellness Center at Spaulding Hospital Serving as Temporary Adult Homeless Shelter for Non-COVID-19 Residents

“This temporary facility is allowing the City to continue supporting our most vulnerable populations for the duration of the pandemic. Since April 2020, the City has invested significant staff and financial resources to ensure people experiencing homelessness in Cambridge have access to critical support systems. I want to thank Mayor Siddiqui and Councillor McGovern for their leadership on our temporary shelter initiatives, and I want to thank the City’s Public Works team and Spaulding Hospital’s construction teams that worked so quickly to construct this new facility.”“This location at Spaulding Hospital has minimal impact on the neighboring community and is ideal for supporting our most vulnerable residents in need of these important resources,” said Cambridge Police Commissioner Branville G. Bard, Jr.

“The Transition Wellness Center joins the Winter Warming Center, the Multi-Service Center and other Cambridge nonprofits in a shared mission to provide safe shelter for people experiencing homelessness and to connect them with resources that promote their wellbeing – especially during the winter months,” said Ellen Semonoff, Assistant City Manager for Human Services. “The TWC’s opening is a testament to the tireless efforts of City staff, elected officials, our partners at Bay Cove, and local providers across the city.”“The more we can do to keep all Cambridge residents safe and healthy, the greater the chance we have to continue to mitigate the spread of this pandemic, including among those who experience homelessness,” said Dr. Assaad Sayah, Commissioner of Public Health.

he Transition Wellness Center (TWC), a temporary emergency homeless shelter for guests who

test negative for COVID-19, opened in December at the Spaulding Hospital. The City-funded shelter located on the first and second floors of the east wing of the hospital at 1575 Cambridge Street hosts 58 beds and has averaged 40 guests per night.The City of Cambridge is funding the shelter operation, but plans to submit $3.4 million for reimbursement to support this critical initiative, which is eligible for federal CARES Act funding.“We are thankful to Spaulding Hospital for leasing the City part of its facility on Cambridge Street so that we could create the Transition Wellness Center,” said Cambridge City Manager Louis A. DePasquale.

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This temporary facility is allowing the City to continue supporting our most vulnerable populations for the duration of the pandemic.

Spaulding Hospital staff held a successful clothing donation drive for the new residents of the Transition Wellness Center and have a designated ‘Closet’ to dispense items to any residents in need.

Additionally, the Cambridge Winter Warming Center, which opened on December 1, is operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through April 15, 2021. Located at 806 Massachusetts Avenue and accessible through the building’s Green Street entrance, the Warming Center provides a safe space for adults experiencing homelessness to rest, sleep, and have access to beverages, a hot meal, and bathrooms during the winter months. At all times, the maximum capacity of the Warming Center will be 30 guests to allow for safe social distancing.

Apply for Funding from COVID-19 Housing Stabilization ProgramThe City of Cambridge is accepting applications for the next round of funding for the COVID-19 Housing Stabilization Program.

Launched in July 2020, the City’s Housing Stabilization Program serves to provide short term financial assistance to individuals and families in Cambridge who are experiencing housing instability due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of this publication’s deadline, $1.2 million has been committed, supporting 225 Cambridge households with six months of assistance. This next round of funding, which opened on January 11, will provide access to the additional $628,000 from Community Development Block Grant and CARES Act money dedicated to this program.

Do You Qualify for Monthly Financial Assistance for Groceries? Call Project bread’s FoodSource Hotline at 1-800-645-8333

Learn about eligibility requirements at Cambridgema.gov/housingfund.

City Manager Louis A. DePasquale

Cambridge City Council:

Mayor Sumbul SiddiquiVice Mayor Alanna M. MallonCouncillor Dennis J. CarloneCouncillor Marc C. McGovernCouncillor Patricia M. NolanCouncillor E. Denise SimmonsCouncillor Jivan Sobrinho-WheelerCouncillor Timothy J. Toomey, Jr.Councillor Quinton Y. Zondervan

A publication of the Office of the City Manager City of Cambridge795 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139 617-349-4300 • Cambridgema.gov

Cambridgema.Gov @Cambma

The City of Cambridge’s Temporary Emergency Order on Eviction Enforcement remains in effect until further notice. It means that tenants may not be forcibly evicted from occupied units.

Photo: Kyle Klein

Eviction Moratorium Orders Remain in Place

Know Your Rights and Resources• Only a Court can order you to be evicted. You do not

need to leave just because your landlord tells you to leave or gives you a notice to quit. There is a court process that has to be followed. Seek Legal Services and Resources. Do not just leave. For more information go to masslegalhelp.org or Gbls.org/MADE.

• If you are behind in rent or concerned about paying the coming month’s rent, there are many local and state resources to assist you. Communicate with your landlord, pay what you can, and contact the City’s Housing Liaison at 617-349-6337 or the City of Cambridge Multi Service Center at 617-349-6354 for assistance.

• If your building is being sold or you have other housing questions, please call the numbers above. For more information, visit Cambridgema.gov/tenantrights.

Stay Informed. Learn More at Cambridgema.gov/COVID-19

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